I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to indicating devices carried by an automobile, and more particularly to a mount for instruments such as a tachometer, directional signal, parking lamp indicator, high-beam headlamp indicator or the like.
II. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been required to position directional or turn signals, headlamps or the like upon the exterior of motor vehicles. In the past, operation of these signals or indicators has been conventionally monitored by a corresponding indicator or instrument visible to the driver and positioned, for example, on the vehicle dashboard. Often a plurality of such instruments are gathered into a cluster located above the steering wheel shaft. Instrument clusters of this type often include a tachometer, a speedometer and an odometer.
One drawback of prior vehicle operation instruments has been that the driver is often required to move the eyes in substantial angular distance from the road in order to observe the status of operation of signals displayed by the instruments. Of course, it is particularly dangerous to remove the eyes from the road during periods of acceleration, either linear or during turning, passing or the like, which necessarily require the driver's greatest attention.
Another drawback of prior vehicle instruments has been the difficulty of maintaining and repairing them. For example, some instruments are lamps, which display the status of operation of the associated vehicle signal by being lit or not. Such lamps are, of course, subject to burnout, and it is at best troublesome to change such burned out lamp bulbs when confronted with the mass of wires and sockets present in the dark confines behind a conventional dashboard.